


The Great 2019 Gingerbread house-making débacle

by kayejwrotes



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Christmas Cookies, Christmas Dinner, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Party, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:47:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28263369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kayejwrotes/pseuds/kayejwrotes
Summary: The thing is that Iwaizumi's Christmas decorations are always the best.But this was the year Iwaizumi will fail at Christmas.Takahiro was ready for it.
Relationships: Hanamaki Takahiro/Matsukawa Issei, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru
Comments: 1
Kudos: 44





	The Great 2019 Gingerbread house-making débacle

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this thing last year for the Under the Mistletoe Zine, and wanted to share it with you all tonight.  
> I hope you'll be able to spend this different winter holidays with the people you love, with joy and warmth.

The thing is that Iwaizumi's Christmas decorations are always the best.

One would think that Tooru would be the one going overboard with tinsel and fairy lights and shiny, soft snowflakes painted on their windows.

Well, they were wrong.

The one who strategically placed mistletoe above doors, who carefully painted little snowflakes in the corners of windows, just that hint of snow on the windowsill to give the idea of a very white Christmas, who brought out the tartan plaid over the sofa every winter and who made sure gingerbread cookies were always at hand was gruff, buff Iwaizumi, the roughest man with the most tender heart hidden beneath sharp eyes.

But this was the year Iwaizumi will fail at Christmas.

Takahiro was ready for it.

He had started preparations since last year when Iwaizumi had one-upped his small Christmas tree so easily.

He'd been surprised. He wasn't prepared. He hadn't thought about Iwaizumi and his unabashed love for everything Christmas. But this year he had made plans. He had a list of the decorations and lights and food and everything else one might need to celebrate the holidays. Takahiro was ready to  _ destroy _ Iwaizumi at Christmas.

Of course, he didn't have Iwaizumi’s experience, but he had the power of a very full Pinterest board and lots of lovely aunties coming in daily at the café in which he worked by his side.

The aunties had supplied the softest, warmest and comfiest cover ever made by human minds. It was a big, fluffy thing of a deep, warm red, with a line of white snowflakes lining the edge and an embroidered - those aunties knew what's cool - white deer prancing under the snow.

He had enlisted the help of a very amused Matsukawa for placing the small mistletoe branch over the entry, the endless yards of fairy lights lighting everything in Hanamaki's small apartment, bringing up several pots of poinsettias dusted in gold and other very Christmassy decorations. Of course, the Christmas tree was colour-coordinated with the rest of the house this year. No more mismatched balls and stars and bows for Hanamaki Takahiro. No, sir.

The last thing that's left to do right now is the most difficult one. Gingerbread house-making wasn't an easy feat by itself, and especially if one didn't have the smallest clue about baking. Takahiro knew his limits and knew when to ask for help. This was why Matsukawa is here and he was in charge exclusively of the coffee-making at the café. Baking isn't his forte, but he is confident that between him and Matsukawa they'll be able to do a neat gingerbread house.

"So," Matsukawa begins, poking the gigantic ball of gingerbread dough Hanamaki had previously prepared, "this is the thing."

"Yep! I made it myself," Takahiro says, rummaging through his kitchen drawers for that pesky tree cookie cutter that was nowhere to be seen.

"You sure it's edible?" He doesn't need to look at Matsukawa to feel the scepticism even if his tone is even. He could perceive it.

"I followed the recipe step by step. I'm sure it is edible."

Still silence from the other end of the table.

"And you don't need to actually eat gingerbread houses." There was the tree cookie cutter! He extracts it triumphantly with a big grin as Takahiro turns toward Matsukawa. "It's more for aesthetics and shit."

"And shit," Matsukawa says, still not convinced.

"And shit," Takahiro answers with a nod.

"So." Matsukawa is eyeing him carefully as Takahiro takes a random dollop of dough. "What do you need me to do?"

“Right now, help me shape this into the outer sidewall of the house,” Takahiro says, punching the dough to lay it out on the sheet pan he had prepared on the counter. “We’ll have to cook it before attaching every single part.”

They settle in a quiet routine of punching and flattening the dough, trying to shape it in the best way they can with their hands. It becomes apparent soon enough though, that the more they work at it, the more the dough softens. 

There was so much butter in that thing that Matsukawa's hands were literally shining with it.

It’s one of the first rules you need to know when baking. When working with buttery things don’t work with them too much, or they’ll melt fast. Matsukawa knew this. Takahiro didn’t, and that was one of the reasons he wasn’t allowed in the kitchen at work. Basic principles.

Matsukawa eyes the dough inexorably falling with a wet splotch from Takahiro’s fingers on the counter. Takahiro looks at him. They look at each other.

“QUICK! GRAB THE SPOON!” Despite the panic in his voice, Matsukawa can’t help but notice there’s melted gingerbread dough on Takahiro’s left cheek. He looks cute in a messy way.

Matsukawa darts toward one of the drawers, taking out a bunch of spoons and skidding to a halt beside Takahiro, where he is haphazardly trying to keep the gingerbread wall in a vague rectangular form.

“Here!” 

They work in tandem, trying to contain the melting dough and in a desperate attempt to stop it, they thrust the pan in the oven, hoping that it will solidify by the time they need to use all the pieces.

They stand in front of the oven, looking at it without saying anything for a while.

It’s Matsukawa who breaks the silence first.

“Can I say…”

“Nope.”

“I mean, we could always buy one-” 

“Don’t. I’ve not given up on this yet.”

**********

Dinner amongst them had been a nice, relaxed thing. 

Since they had started living alone, they had hosted the Christmas dinner in turns. Whoever hosted dinner was only required to bring dessert.

They had eaten and laughed, appreciating Oikawa’s surprisingly good lasagna and enjoying the festive atmosphere the strings of fairy lights in Takahiro’s dinner room created. 

It was a cheery dinner. Iwaizumi was clearly impressed by the decorations and efforts Takahiro had put in it. 

He had, of course, looked smug at it, writing an imaginary one on his long list of rivalries with Iwaizumi.

The only thing left was the dessert.

He felt a cold shiver run down his back as he straightened and went to the kitchen to retrieve it. Takahiro wasn’t looking at him as he turned the corner with a smile, but he could feel Matsukawa’s eyes on him while Oikawa was talking.

Inside the kitchen, he took out of the fridge his very own special rendition of the gingerbread house. Just a final dusting of icing sugar and it was done.

He took a deep breath and stepped back with the thing on a tray and set it on the table.

In front of their eyes, a snarling Godzilla figurine had smashed inside the crumbled buttery walls of a gingerbread house, populated with wonky screaming elves made of icing.

Everything was dusted in fine icing sugar as if the snow had tried to placate the mighty anger of Godzilla. The slaughter had happened anyway.

They all looked at it in silence for a moment, before Iwaizumi burst out laughing, eyes filled with tears and joy.

“This is the best gingerbread house I’ve ever seen!” He kept laughing and laughing, but Takahiro didn’t mind one bit. 

Two points for him. Suck it up, Iwaizumi.

**Author's Note:**

> If you enjoyed this little fic, please consider leaving a comment and kudos, or checking any of the other docs in my account.  
> It would mean the world to me!  
> Also, if you enjoyed the Christmas vibe of this story, please consider checking the Under The Mistletoe zine Vol. 2 ( search for utm_hqzine on twitter and Under the Mistletoe Vol. 2 on Tumblr)!  
> There's plenty of lovely winter holidays content from amazing contributors there! ❤️✨


End file.
